


Wanderlust

by InkFlavored



Series: Zenyatta Appreciation Week 2018 [5]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, So is genji, theres some happy times and then one sad time, they talk about birds, zenyatta is a child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-04-07 03:50:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14072268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkFlavored/pseuds/InkFlavored
Summary: Zenyatta Appreciation Week (Day 5: Journey/Travels)Zenyatta and Genji discover many things on their travels. Including themselves.





	Wanderlust

**Author's Note:**

> wow this one is really super later than i intended. enjoy it anyway!

I.

 

“Look, there,” Genji whispered, pointing into a nearby tree.

Zenyatta followed his finger to see a beautifully colored bird, a yellow breast and head, with a black body and white spots. The sides of its face were red, with white spots, and black accents all around its eyes.

“What about _that_ one?” the cyborg challenged.

Zenyatta folded his hands primly in his floating lotus position. “That, my student, is a _Trachyphonus erythrocephalus_. Or, by its common name, a red-and-yellow African barbet. By its coloring it looks to be male, as the females are not as brightly decorated. As the name suggests, it is native to –”

“Alright, alright, I get it,” Genji interrupts, waving his hand. The bird flies off at his gesture. “We’ve been playing this game all morning and you’ve recognized every single bird. How do you know so much about them?”

“There is only so much one can do in the Himalayas, my student. I took to bird watching, and then to research. It’s quite fascinating.”

“Did you ever pick a favorite?”

Zenyatta thought for a moment, focusing on their path through the lush forests of Tanzania. Birds chirped from all branches, and he could pick out their individual sounds and feather patterns and name them -- red bishop, African hoopoe, malachite kingfisher, purple-banded sunbird.

“It is difficult for me to pick a favorite,” he admitted, “but I do have a particular fondness for the painted stork.”

“Why’s that?” Genji asked, brushing a branch out of their path.

“They cannot make a sound. They can call for their mothers when they are young, but by eighteen months, they are nearly-voiceless. They do not sing like other birds to catch your attention, but they command it instead with a gentle beauty. I’ve seen them when the Shambali came down from the mountains, standing by pools and lakes. Eternally patient in waiting for their prey, they are even intelligent enough to guide it right into their mouths.”

Genji nods. “They sound beautiful.”

“They truly are.”

The travelers are silent for a spell. Then:

“My father used to call me Sparrow.”

“Oh?”

The cyborg shrugged and rubbed the back of his head. “He liked to practice falconry sometimes – it’s a tradition from the family. Sometimes I would go with him to the weathering yard, and I’d always make him fly Kimiko, our sparrowhawk.”

“That sounds wonderful!”

“It was one of the better moments I spent with my father. And I loved Kimiko so much, the name stuck.”

“Hm... should I start calling you Sparrow?”

“Should I start calling you Master Stork?”

Zenyatta laughed. “Perhaps not.”

 

II.

 

Zenyatta floated as close to the ground as he could get without sitting on it, his orbs cycling through a rainbow of colors and floating around the heads and hands of the children he was entertaining. They laughed and screamed and chased the glowing spheres around and around. Genji was _actually_ sitting not far off, showing off his (sheathed) swords to another set of children.

The omnic looked to the sky, and noticed the sun getting low. He called the orbs back to his neck, to the disappointment of the children. They all let out groans and pleads for “just a little longer, please, Mister Zen!”

The monk floated up, patting them on the head as he did so. “I’m sorry to end the fun so soon,” he said, “but myself and Genji must be somewhere rather early tomorrow, and it’s always good to get plenty of rest before you meet a friend.”

As he finished saying this, he heard several mothers call out for their children. A few of them waved goodbye, and scampered off, and others made Zenyatta _promise_ he’d be back tomorrow. At his side, Genji put his swords away, and waved to the departing children. Then, the omnic and cyborg went on their way as well, to the hotel they would be staying in for the night.

“Well, that was a pleasant detour,” Zenyatta remarked.

Genji nodded. “Numbani really is a wonderful place. And you have a way with the children, Master.”

“I think it was more the flashing colors than anything on my part, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

“No, it was all you. You entertained them quite well with… with your balls.”

Zenyatta was about to answer, and then went quiet. He could hear Genji snickering behind his mask.

“That is _completely_ juvenile,” the omnic said, smacking his student on the arm.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Not at all?”

“I’m serious! You are the master of balls.”

Zenyatta spread his arms, grandiose. “Such high praise coming from the master of swords.” Genji hid his face in his hands, his snickering growing harder to hide, but Zenyatta continued. “Although, I am pleased you kept your sword sheathed. It’s very important use any and all protection, especially when it comes to children. Accidents can happen when you least expect them.”

The cyborg burst out laughing, holding his sides as he struggled to breathe. The omnic laughed along side him, supporting himself of his student’s shoulder.

And they weren’t even half-way to the hotel yet.

 

III.

 

The lights of King’s Row blare in the night, making the streets look almost like daylight. The moon overhead shines dimly in comparison, and the stars are barely visible. The streets are empty, the stores are closed, and any store still open is in the process of shooing out the rest of their customers.

An omnic walks slowly down the sidewalk like he’s been dreading it all night, nine carved orbs circling his neck. At his side, a cyborg, fluorescent lights on his body glowing green. He has his hand on the omnic’s shoulder, as though guiding him.

The omnic looks up at the gigantic statue of Tekhartha Mondatta, who was assassinated in that very spot in the middle of one of his speeches. They pass the statue and stop at a small memoriam on a street corner. A portrait of Mondatta is propped up on a curb, accented with candles and flowers. Notes from followers of the Shambali, and pictures of omnics and humans together surround the picture. The omnic stands quietly as the cyborg places his own pictures – a picture of himself and the omnic at his side, along with another picture of the omnic and Mondatta standing together during a speech. The cyborg stands up and looks to his companion.

“Are you alright, Master?” the cyborg asks quietly.

The omnic says nothing, but nods. The cyborg almost leads him away, but the omnic stops him.

“I would like to…have a moment,” he said.

The cyborg nods and goes back up the street they came from. He disappears.

Alone, the omnic drops to his knees. He stares at the picture, gazing helplessly into the glass as if it can answer his questions.

And then he speaks.

“I suppose it is my turn to say good-bye, old friend. I know it is not as timely as either of us would have liked, but here I am.” He chuckles to himself. “Despite the knowledge that you are with the Iris, in a better place than the one you left, I cannot help but selfishly want you back. We had our disagreements, but you were nonetheless my closest friend. My family.”

He sits back on his heels and looks up into the stars. “Genji misses you as well. He told me himself. He… it was his idea to come here. Of all things, I avoided this as long as I could. Since I’ve been travelling it has been very difficult to come up with excuses _not_ to visit.” He looks back at the picture again. “Perhaps I am afraid. Afraid to acknowledge a world that no longer live in. Afraid to accept it within myself that you are gone, no matter what myself or anyone does. I cannot reverse it. But here I am. Accepting it.”

He grows silent and still. Then he sighs. “Genji will be waiting for me. We plan to visit Kaitlyn in the morning, and then move on to wherever our travels take us next. Your brother Zenyatta is thinking of you.” He stands up and takes a few steps away from the memoriam. Then, folds his legs up into a lotus position, floating.

“Goodbye, Mondatta.”


End file.
